Bedtime
by tmnt-luver
Summary: This is a short (very short!) story i wrote of when the turtles were 5 - feel free to read.


Bedtime  
  
"But Master Splin'er. Do I have to go to bed?" Mikey asked, sticking his thumb in his mouth and holding his Panda under one arm. He gazed up at his Sensei with big, puppy-dog eyes.  
  
"Yes, Michelangelo", Splinter said, pulling the sheets over on Mikey's bed.  
  
"But I'm not tired", Mikey protested, his thumb still glued in his mouth.  
  
"You still need your sleep, my son". Splinter patted the bed covers, indicating to Mikey to hop in. The small turtle climbed up onto the bed and buried himself in the covers, so there was enough room for him and his panda.  
  
Splinter smiled down at his son. "Goodnight, Michelangelo".  
  
"Night", Mikey replied, before turning over and closing his eyes.  
  
Splinter walked over to Mikey's bedroom door, taking one glance at his son, and walked out of the room to check on his other three children. He shut Mikey's bedroom door softly and then went into Raphael's room, where the turtle in red was standing on his bed, practicing with his sais.  
  
"Raphael", Splinter said. Raph looked up at him. "Bed".  
  
"Aw, man!"  
  
Raph put his sais on his bedside table and jumped off his bed. Splinter put a hand on his son's shoulder and smiled. "Go and clean your teeth", he said, gently pushing him out of his bedroom and towards the bathroom.  
  
"But Master Splin'er!" Raph moaned. "I cleaned my teeth last night!"  
  
"Raphael", Splinter said softly. "You must clean them every night".  
  
"Man!"  
  
Raph and Splinter met Leo in the bathroom, who was standing on a small stool to reach the bathroom sink and was spitting water out of his mouth. He looked up when Splinter and Raph came in and smiled, his teeth milk- bottle white. Leo jumped off the stool and bowed to his Master.  
  
"I've cleaned my teeth, Master", Leo said sweetly.  
  
Splinter smiled and, behind him, Raph stuck his tongue out at his brother - he was always Mr. Perfect. Raph was too young to understand that, one-day, Leo's perfect profile would help them a lot, and that he would appreciate it very much. Luckily, Leo didn't notice Raph's tongue stuck out.  
  
"Very well, Leonardo", Splinter said. "Go on to bed".  
  
"'Kay", Leo nodded. He walked up to Splinter and gave him a hug, and then he turned to Raph and smiled. "Night Raph", he said.  
  
Raph, who just got onto the stool opposite the one Leo was standing on, smiled back at his brother. "Night Leo", he replied.  
  
Leo walked out of the bathroom and into his own bedroom, where he laid on his bed and thought about his 3 brothers. Donnie's learning madness. Mikey's pizza-eating attitude. And Raph's strangely unique attitude. Sleep finally overtook his mind and his eyes closed, letting him fall into the land of dreams.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"But I'm not tired, Splin'er!" Raph protested as his Master tucked him into his own bed. Raph brought his hands above the sheet, and then threw them down so the covers were covering just his plastron.  
  
Splinter smiled, thinking Raph and Mikey had the same minds. "I know, my son", Splinter replied, picking up one of Raph's sais from the floor and putting it on his bedside dresser. "But you need your sleep".  
  
"How can I get my sleep when I'm not sleepy?" Raph asked.  
  
Splinter chuckled. "You will, my son. You will".  
  
Splinter put a hand on Raph's forehead. His son smiled back at him. Splinter got up and headed towards Raph's door.  
  
"Splinter?" Raph asked.  
  
"Yes, Raphael?" Splinter said, turning around to face the small bundle that lay in the bed, looking at him with big, confusing eyes.  
  
"Why are we different?" he asked.  
  
Splinter sighed. So many times had his sons asked him that question and, as always, Splinter just couldn't find the right way to tell them. They didn't understand why they were different to the humans they saw on TV, and why those humans went to school and played with other kids, when all they could do was play with each other, unable to learn new experiences like High School, games, and meeting different people.  
  
"Raphael", Splinter said. "You're unique, not different. Someday you'll understand why you are more unique than others".  
  
"When?" Raph asked, fiddling with his fingers.  
  
Splinter smiled. "Soon", he replied, grabbing the door handle. "Goodnight".  
  
"Night", Raph said, watching his Master close his bedroom door.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Splinter, walking as quietly as he could, entered Donnie's room and saw that his son was still awake, sitting on his bed and typing away on his toy laptop that Splinter had given him for his birthday. It asked him all sort of questions like how to spell a certain picture that came on the screen and, as always, Donnie flew threw them, enjoying the praise that the electronic toy gave him whenever he got something right.  
  
"Spell 'gratefully'", the computer quietly spoke out.  
  
Donnie, smiling, type in the answer and it came up correct. Splinter smiled, proud that his son had learned so much from this machine, and that Donatello's education increased everyday, as he learned more about the world around him.  
  
"Ok, Donatello", Splinter said, making his son look up. "I think it's time for bed".  
  
"I am in bed", Donnie argued sweetly, pointing to the bed covers that went over his legs and that the toy laptop sat on. He smiled at his Master with sweet big eyes that pleaded him silently for 5 more minutes.  
  
"TO bed, Donatello", Splinter said firmly, but gently.  
  
"Ok, ok". Donnie turned his laptop off, letting it say a 'goodbye', and put it on the small desk that was next to his bed. He shuffled down into the bed, laying on his shell, and pulled the covers up to his shoulders.  
  
Splinter walked over to him and tucked the covers around his son more, making sure he was safe and warm in his bed. He grabbed Donatello's hand, as he did every night, and gave his son a small high five.  
  
"Goodnight, Donatello", Splinter said, getting up and walking over to the door.  
  
"Night", Donnie said quietly, before resting one arm on his pillow and one over his plastron. He turned his head slightly to the side and closed his eyes, hoping that tomorrow he could get to level 6 on his laptop.  
  
Splinter closed the bedroom door softly, and then peeped into Raph's room. The small turtle was now lying on his plastron, his head buried deep into the pillow and his arms stretch out along the bed. The cover remained on his shell, letting some of it cover Raph's face. Deep breathing told Splinter that he was asleep.  
  
Splinter smiled and then checked on Leonardo. His son was lying sideways, one arm resting next to his head and the other one hidden under the covers. His eyes were closed peacefully, and he murmured something soft before rolling over to lie fully on his shell.  
  
Splinter shut the door, not wanting to wake his son up from his dreams, and walked into Michelangelo's room. His other son was still in the same position as he left him, with his Panda under one of his arm and his thumb in his mouth, something he had never (yet) gotten out of the habit of doing.  
  
Splinter walked out of the room and into the living room, where he sat, meditating, and thinking about his four sons, whom he loved so dearly and wouldn't dream of trading them for the world . . .  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
(Told ya it was short! : ) Ok, I don't even know WHY I wrote this. It just came to me and I just typed it up. I thought it was sweet - and listening to sad-ish music at the same time convinces ya it is. I've done 3 stories of when they were 5, but this is the shortest, definitely. Well, not much to say. I have a weird mind.  
  
Peace out! (Hopefully, I'll get the new story I'm writing up on here).  
  
t-u-r-t-l-e power! Luv tmnt_luver x) 


End file.
